A humpback whale entangled in a barge anchor cable near Prince of Wales Island was released through the work of good Samaritans last week.
The rescue was first reported by KRBD-FM radio in Ketchikan.
According to KRBD, the whale was discovered Wednesday wrapped in an inch-and-a-quarter cable linked to a 7,000-pound anchor.
Rescuers didn’t need to dive to help the whale — when the whale surfaced, they cut the cable from a small dive boat. They then used a system of pulleys to pull the cable away from the whale.
The whale seemed to have suffered only minor injuries, but the rescuers said the animal appeared tired from its ordeal.